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Commentary on Judges 11 verses 12–28
We have here the treaty between Jephthah, now judge of Israel, and the king of the Ammonites (who is not named), that the controversy between the two nations might, if possible, be accommodated without the effusion of blood.
I. Jephthah, as one having authority, sent to the king of Ammon, who in this war was the aggressor, to demand his reasons for invading the land of Israel: "Why hast thou come to fight against me in my land? Jdg 11:12. Had I come first into thy land to disturb thee in thy possession, this would have been reason enough for fighting against me, for how must force be repelled but by force? but what hast thou to do to come thus in a hostile manner into my land?" so he calls it, in the name both of God and Israel. Now this fair demand shows, 1. That Jephthah did not delight in war, though he was a mighty man of valour, but was willing to prevent it by a peaceable accommodation. If he could by reason persuade the invaders to retire, he would not compel them to do it by the sword. War should be the last remedy, not to be used till all other methods of ending matters in variance have been tried in vain, ratio ultima regum - the last resource of kings. This rule should be observed in going to law. The sword of justice, as well as the sword of war, must not be appealed to till the contending parties have first endeavoured by gentler means to understand one another, and to accommodate matters in variance, Co1 6:1. 2. That Jephthah did delight in equity, and designed no other than to do justice. If the children of Ammon could convince him that Israel had done them wrong, he was ready to restore the rights of the Ammonites. If not, it was plain by their invasion that they did Israel wrong, and he was ready to maintain the rights of the Israelites. A sense of justice should guide and govern us in all our undertakings.
II. The king of the Ammonites now gives in his demand, which he should have published before he had invaded Israel, Jdg 11:13. His pretence is, "Israel took away my lands long since; now therefore restore those lands." We have reason to think the Ammonites, when they made this descent upon Israel, meant no other than to spoil and plunder the country, and enrich themselves with the prey, as they had done formerly under Eglon (Jdg 3:13) when no such demand as this was made, though the matter was then fresh; but when Jephthah demanded the cause of their quarrel, and they could not for shame own what was their true intent and meaning, some old musty records were searched, or some ancient traditions enquired into, and from them this reason was drawn to serve the present turn, for a colourable pretence of equity in the invasion. Even those that do the greatest wrong yet have such a conviction in their consciences of justice that they would seem to do right. Restore those lands. See upon what uncertain terms we hold our worldly possessions; what we think we have the surest hold of may be challenged from us, and wrested out of our hands. Those that have got to the heavenly Canaan need not fear having their titles questioned.
III. Jephthah gives in a very full and satisfactory answer to this demand, showing it to be altogether unjust and unreasonable, and that the Ammonites had no title to this country that lay between the rivers Arnon and Jabbok, now in the possession of the tribes of Reuben and Gad. As one very well versed in the history of his country, he shows,
1.That Israel never took any land away either from the Moabites or Ammonites. He puts them together because they were brethren, the children of Lot, near neighbours, and of united interests, having the same god, Chemosh, and perhaps sometimes the same king. The lands in question Israel took away, not from the Moabites or Ammonites (they had particular orders from God not to meddle with them nor any thing they had, Deu 2:9, Deu 2:19, and religiously observed their orders), but they found them in the possession of Sihon king of the Amorites, and out of his hand they took them justly and honourably, as he will show afterwards. If the Amorites, before Israel came into that country, had taken these lands from the Moabites or Ammonites, as it should seem they had (Num 21:26; Jos 13:25), Israel was not concerned to enquire into that or answer for it. If the Ammonites had lost these lands and their title to them, the children of Israel were under no obligation to recover the possession for them. Their business was to conquer for themselves, not for other people. This is his first plea, "Not guilty of the trespass."
2.That they were so far from invading the property of any other nations than the devoted posterity of cursed Canaan (one of the branches of which the Amorites were, Gen 10:16) that they would not so much as force a passage through the country either of the Edomites, the seed of Esau, or of the Moabites, the seed of Lot; but even after a very tedious march through the wilderness, with which they were sadly tired (Jdg 11:16), when the king of Edom first, and afterwards the king of Moab, denied them the courtesy of a way through their country (Jdg 11:17), rather than give them any offence or annoyance, weary as they were, they put themselves to the further fatigue of compassing both the land of Edom and that of Moab, and came not within the border of either, Jdg 11:18. Note, Those that behave themselves inoffensively may take the comfort of it, and plead it against those that charge them with injustice and wrong doing. Our righteousness will answer for us in time to come (Gen 30:33) and will put to silence the ignorance of foolish men, Pe1 2:15.
3.That in that war in which they took this land out of the hands of Sihon king of the Amorites he was the aggressor, and not they, Jdg 11:19, Jdg 11:20. They sent a humble petition to him for leave to go through his land, willing to give him any security for their good behaviour in their march. "Let us pass (say they) unto our place, that is, to the land of Canaan, which is the only place we call ours, and to which we are pressing forward, not designing a settlement here." But Sihon not only denied them this courtesy, as Edom and Moab had done (had he only done so, who knows but Israel might have gone about some other way?) but he mustered all his forces, and fought against Israel (Jdg 11:20), not only shut them out of his own land, but would have cut them off from the face of the earth (Num 21:23, Num 21:24), aimed at nothing less than their ruin, Jdg 11:20. Israel therefore, in their war with him, stood in their own just and necessary defence, and therefore, having routed his army, might justly, in further revenge of the injury, seize his country as forfeited. Thus Israel came to the possession of this country, and doubted not to make good their title to it; and it is very unreasonable for the Ammonites to question their title, for the Amorites were the inhabitants of that country, and it was purely their land and their coasts that the Israelites then made themselves masters of, Jdg 11:21, Jdg 11:22.
4.He pleads a grant from the crown, and claims under that, Jdg 11:23, Jdg 11:24. It was not Israel (they were fatigued with their long march, and were not fit for action so soon), but it was the Lord God of Israel, who is King of nations, whose the earth is and the fulness thereof, he it was that dispossessed the Amorites and planted Israel in their room. God gave them the land by an express and particular conveyance, such as vested the title in them, which they might make good against all the world. Deu 2:24, I have given into thy hand Sihon and his land; he gave it to them, by giving them a complete victory over the present occupants, notwithstanding the great disadvantages they were under. "Can you think that God gave it to us in such an extraordinary manner with design that we should return it to the Moabites or Ammonites again? No, we put a higher value upon God's favours than to part with them so easily." To corroborate this plea, he urges an argument ad hominem - directed to the man: Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee? He not only appeals to the common resolutions of men to hold their own against all the world, but to the common religion of the nations, which, they thought, obliged them to make much of that which their gods gave them. Not that Jephthah thought Chemosh a god, only he is thy god, and the worshippers even of those dunghill deities that could do neither good nor evil yet thought themselves beholden to them for all they had (Hos 2:12, These are my rewards which my lovers have given me; and see Jdg 16:24) and made this a reason why they would hold it fast, that their gods gave it to them. "This thou thinkest a good title, and shall not we?" The Ammonites had dispossessed those that dwelt in their land before them; they thought they did it by the help of Chemosh their god, but really it was Jehovah the God of Israel that did it for them, as is expressly said, Deu 2:19, Deu 2:21. "Now," says Jephthah, "we have as good a title to our country as you have to yours." Note, One instance of the honour and respect we owe to God, as our God, is rightly to possess that which he gives us to possess, receive it from him, use it for him, keep it for his sake, and part with it when he calls for it. He has given it to us to possess, not to enjoy. He himself only must be enjoyed.
5.He pleads prescription. (1.) Their title had not been disputed when they first entered upon it, Jdg 11:25. "Balak who was then king of Moab, from whom the greatest part of these lands had been taken by the Amorites, and who was most concerned and best able to oppose us, if he had had any thing to object against our settlement there, yet sat still, and never offered to strive against Israel." He knew that for his own part he had fairly lost it to the Amorites and was not able to recover it, and could not but acknowledge that Israel had fairly won it of the Amorites, and therefore all his care was to secure what was left: he never pretended a title to what was lost. See Num 22:2, Num 22:3. "He then acquiesced in God's way of disposing of kingdoms, and wilt not thou now?" (2.) Their possession had never yet been disturbed, Jdg 11:26. He pleads that they had kept this country as their own now about 300 years, and the Ammonites in all that time had never attempted to take it from them, no, not when they had it in their power to oppress them, Jdg 3:13, Jdg 3:14. So that, supposing their title had not been clear at the first (which yet he had proved it was), yet, no claim having been made for so many generations, the entry of the children of Ammon, without doubt, was barred for ever. A title so long unquestioned shall be presumed unquestionable.
6.By these arguments Jephthah justifies himself and his own cause ("I have not sinned against thee in taking or keeping what I have no right to; if I had, I would instantly make restitution"), and condemns the Ammonites: "Thou doest me wrong to war against me, and must expect to speed accordingly," Jdg 11:27. It seems to me an evidence that the children of Israel, in the days of their prosperity and power (for some such days they had in the times of the judges) had conducted themselves very inoffensively to all their neighbours and had not been vexatious or oppressing to them (either by way of reprisal or under colour of propagating their religion), that the king of the Ammonites, when he would seek an occasion of quarrelling with them, was forced to look 300 years back for a pretence. It becomes the people of God thus to be blameless and harmless, and without rebuke.
7.For the deciding of the controversy, he puts himself upon God and his sword, and the king of Ammon joins issue with him (Jdg 11:27, Jdg 11:28): The Lord the Judge be judge this day. With this solemn reference of the matter to the Judge of heaven and earth he designs either to deter the Ammonites from proceeding and oblige them to retire, when they saw the right of the cause was against them, or to justify himself in subduing them if they should go on. Note, War is an appeal to heaven, to God the Judge of all, to whom the issues of it belong. If doubtful rights be disputed, he is hereby requested to determine them. If manifest rights be invaded or denied, he is hereby applied to for the vindicating of what is just and the punishing of wrong. As the sword of justice was made for lawless and disobedient persons (Ti1 1:9), so was the sword of war made for lawless and disobedient princes and nations. In war therefore the eye must be ever up to God, and it must always be thought a dangerous thing to desire or expect that God should patronise unrighteousness.
Neither Jephthah's apology, nor his appeal, wrought upon the king of the children of Ammon; they had found the sweets of the spoil of Israel, in the eighteen years wherein they had oppressed them (Jdg 10:8), and hoped now to make themselves masters of the tree with the fruit of which they had so often enriched themselves. He hearkened not to the words of Jephthah, his heart being hardened to his destruction.
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SUMMARY
Judges 11:18 is a crucial verse within Jephthah's masterful diplomatic and legal defense presented to the Ammonite king. It meticulously recounts a specific segment of Israel's wilderness journey, emphasizing their deliberate and divinely instructed circumvention of the territories of Edom and Moab. By highlighting Israel's scrupulous respect for established national boundaries, particularly the Arnon River as Moab's undisputed border, the verse serves to historically and legally refute the Ammonite claim of territorial encroachment, thereby underscoring Israel's legitimate possession of the disputed land acquired from the Amorites.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The verse primarily employs Repetition, Legal Argumentation, and Geographical Precision within a Historical Narrative. The repetition of "border of Moab" and the explicit mention of "Arnon" twice serve to underscore and firmly establish the geographical and legal point Jephthah is making: the Arnon was the undisputed boundary, and Israel meticulously respected it. This repetitive emphasis ensures the audience (the Ammonite king) grasps the crucial detail that forms the basis of Israel's legitimate land claim. The entire passage is a masterful example of Legal Argumentation, where Jephthah, acting as a diplomat and advocate, presents historical facts as irrefutable evidence to defend Israel's rights. He uses a Historical Narrative to provide undeniable proof of Israel's non-aggression and their divinely sanctioned right to the land they occupied, meticulously recounting events to strengthen his case. The Geographical Precision of the Arnon River as a specific boundary adds weight and credibility to his historical claims.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Judges 11:18 profoundly illustrates God's meticulous ordering of nations and His expectation of justice and respect for boundaries, even among peoples who might later become adversaries. Israel's obedience to God's command to bypass Edom and Moab, despite the arduous journey, reflects a higher principle of divine justice that transcends immediate strategic advantage. This act demonstrates that God's people are called to operate within a framework of righteousness, honoring established territories and agreements, rather than succumbing to covetousness or opportunistic expansion. It highlights that true possession comes not from human might or cunning, but from divine allotment and faithful adherence to God's directives. This historical precedent serves as a powerful reminder that God's plan for His people often involves navigating challenges with integrity and trust in His guidance, rather than resorting to worldly tactics.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Judges 11:18 offers timeless lessons for believers today, emphasizing the profound importance of respecting boundaries—whether physical, relational, or ethical. Just as Israel meticulously observed the divinely ordained borders of Edom and Moab, we are called to honor the limits and distinctions God has established in our lives and interactions. This includes respecting the personal space and property of others, upholding contractual agreements, and recognizing the legitimate authority structures in society. Furthermore, the verse reminds us that true peace and justice are often achieved not through aggressive assertion, but through patient adherence to truth and divine guidance, even when it demands a more difficult path. In an age of blurred lines and escalating conflicts, Jephthah's historical argument serves as a powerful reminder that a clear, factual understanding of history and a steadfast commitment to integrity are essential tools for resolving disputes and fostering harmonious relationships. It encourages us to trust that God will lead us through our "wilderness" experiences, providing the right path and protecting us from unnecessary entanglements, if we remain obedient to His will.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why was Jephthah recounting this specific history to the Ammonite king?
Answer: Jephthah was recounting this history to the Ammonite king as a comprehensive legal and diplomatic defense of Israel's rightful claim to the land east of the Jordan River. The Ammonites were unjustly asserting that Israel had unlawfully seized their ancestral territory upon entering Canaan. Jephthah's detailed historical account, tracing Israel's journey from the Exodus, meticulously demonstrates that Israel did not take land from Ammon or Moab. Instead, they scrupulously respected the boundaries of Edom and Moab as commanded by God (Deuteronomy 2:4-9) and only conquered the land of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who had previously taken that territory from Moab (Numbers 21:26). Therefore, Israel's possession was legitimate, acquired through conquest from the Amorites, not from Ammon or Moab.
What was the significance of the Arnon River in this context?
Answer: The Arnon River (modern Wadi Mujib) was a crucial natural and political boundary in ancient Transjordan. For Jephthah's argument, its significance lay in its undisputed status as the northern border of Moab. By emphatically stating that Israel "came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon [was] the border of Moab," Jephthah provided irrefutable evidence that Israel had meticulously respected Moab's territory. The land Israel subsequently conquered from the Amorites, under Sihon, lay north of the Arnon. This geographical precision was vital to prove that the disputed land was not originally Ammonite or Moabite, but Amorite territory that Israel had legitimately acquired, as described in Numbers 21:24.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Judges 11:18, with its emphasis on Israel's obedience to divine instructions to respect boundaries and navigate the wilderness, finds its ultimate and profound fulfillment in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Israel's journey through the wilderness, a place of testing, reliance on God's provision, and learning obedience, foreshadows Christ's own forty days in the wilderness, where He perfectly resisted temptation and submitted entirely to the Father's will (Matthew 4:1-11). Just as Israel was commanded to respect the physical borders of Edom and Moab, Christ perfectly honored the boundaries of God's holy law and the divine will, living a life of impeccable obedience where Israel often faltered. He did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it in every jot and tittle (Matthew 5:17). Moreover, the idea of "compassing" or going around obstacles, rather than directly confronting them with worldly force, speaks to Christ's strategic and redemptive path. He did not come to conquer earthly kingdoms by military might, but to establish a spiritual kingdom through self-sacrifice, ultimately "compassing" and triumphing over the boundaries of sin and death through His crucifixion and glorious resurrection (Colossians 2:13-15). He is the true leader who guides His people through the wilderness of this fallen world, not to a physical promised land, but to an eternal inheritance, transcending earthly borders and establishing a new covenant where all who believe are brought into God's family, regardless of their former national or ethnic boundaries (Galatians 3:28).